Hotmail social networking shreds your privacy: get over it

You might’ve noticed that I haven’t been posting much in the past few days. Now you can find out why.

Windows Secrets Newsletter just hit the stands, and the lead article (from an author you may recognize) tells a sobering tale about how Microsoft pulls information about you from previously obscure sources, mashing it, and dishing it out to people you may not know.

My wife stumbled on the problem when she logged on to Hotmail a couple of days ago. That, in itself, is an interesting story, but it’ll wait until another day.

For now, if you have a Windows Live ID (hotmail address, Life Spaces account, whatever), run over to the Windows Secrets Newsletter Top Story page and see what you need to do in order to protect your privacy. Yes, you have to take this bull by the horns. No, Microsoft doesn’t give a hoot about your personal – potentially embarrassing – information.